Slytherin's Better than Gryffindor
by yoshi09
Summary: “That’s James’ little brother…” “Harry Potter’s other son. Looks just like him, doesn’t he?” “Wow…” The younger Potter lowered himself onto the stool in front of him, and gently placed the ancient Hogwarts symbol onto his head… NextGen fic.
1. The Differences Between Them and you

**Slytherin's better than Gryffindor** by _yoshi09_

Rating: PG  
Warning: pre-slash, but nothing obvious really.  
Genre: General  
Pairings: Albus Severus/Scorpius mostly.  
Summary: Meeting between two wizards… as destined as their fathers' were before them.

A/N: one-shot kind of fluffy cuteness. okay, so you know now, it bothers me when Albus Severus and/or Scorpius are portrayed to be replicas of their father in personality. although I'll allow that Scorpius "resembled Draco as much as Albus resembled Harry," I believe that's strictly just the physical aspect. you'll most likely notice the differences instantaneously- it's the effects of post-war life. Special thanks to my beta, Holy Pancake, and my other friend for a second opinion.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters that will be mentioned or used in this story, but J.K. Rowling wrote the epilogue to cater to her fans so I'll graciously accept the gesture and hopefully to do her NextGen characters justice.

* * *

**Chapter 1  
The Difference Between Them and you  
**

Albus Severus Potter was still staring out the window in a strained posture as if trying to see something far away even after the final stretch of a bend caused the platform and his father's tall figure to disappear from view. A bittersweet feeling was on his tongue and he couldn't seem to shake it. He could still hear his mother's voice ringing in his ears while she kneeled in front of him as she made sure his robe was straight, and his hair didn't stick up _too_ much, '_Now you know you'll make us proud, so don't worry about your brother_.'

James had been mocking him ever since he got his very own letter that invited him to be a part of the renowned Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that Albus was bound to be a Slytherin since James had 'already taken most the good genes and only left enough for Lily.' Albus had since then been dreading going to the magical school, insisting he just attend a regular Muggle one instead, even though he wasn't sure why Slytherin seemed to be placed into such a negative context, all he knew was if he wasn't placed in Gryffindor… Albus shuddered- he didn't want to even think about it.

"Homesick, already?" James' voice said loudly in his younger brother's direction. Albus could almost hear the mischief of plotting in James' sickly-sweet tone that wafted from his grinning face.

Albus immediately sat down properly in his seat next to where his cousin, Rose, had sat prior before she left the booth to track an unsuspecting chocolate frog who jumped out. A blush rose prominently to his cheeks thanks to his inheritance of soft pastel skin.

"No," he murmured.

"Sure, Al," said James, a laugh already rising through his words. He pulled out some colorful candies from his robes pocket, the trademark triple purple W's startlingly familiar to the two current inhabitants of the train compartment. Albus' eyes grew wide,

"Where'd you get those?"

"Swiped them," said James impishly, opening up a pink wrapper and popping the creamy colored substance inside.

"_James_!" Albus said half in concern and half panic, "Mum's going to kill you!"

"Mum won't _know_. Will she?" James said, eyeing Albus in pseudo suspicion.

Albus, who had just recovered from his previous embarrassment felt blood rush to his cheeks once more as he muttered a quiet, "No, she won't."

James let out an uproarious laugh,

"Joking! Hahaha, Uncle George gave me a packet earlier yesterday when we visited his shop," James ceased his laughter and chewed the gummy in his mouth a few more times, his tongue already changing into the same shade as the candy- as was the effect of it, "Nice to know you're so loyal though. Hey! Maybe you'll be in _Hufflepuff_!" he fell into another fit of mirth at the idea, Albus looking thoroughly confused until James regained his breath, "You had better not be, though. How _embarrassing_."

"What's so bad about Hufflepuff?" said Rose, defensively, as she walked back into the booth and sat down next to the younger Potter, a few snacks from the tea trolley in her arm and a chocolate frog squirming in her grasp, "I never hear anything about them."

"Exactly. They're all mediocre," James swallowed the gummy candy and stuck his tongue out to reveal his candy cane striped tongue which Rose couldn't help but laugh at before he continued, "No one remembers Hufflepuff. The Sorting Hat said it before, that Hufflepuff 'took all the rest.'"

"Oh shove it, James!" said Rose in a reprimanding fashion quite similar to Hermione and Ginny's before she turned to look at Albus as he looked glumly on, "Don't listen to him, Al, my mum said Hufflepuff is as equally an honorable house as the others," she shot a glare at her older cousin, "I can't believe you follow those stereotypes so strictly. You remind me of my dad."

"All of our parents were in Gryffindor- even _yours_, Rose," James said cheekily, "Could you imagine the disappointment if you two don't end up in Gryffindor House like _we_ did?" He emphasized the "we" as if to remind them that he, unlike them, had nothing to worry about.

She huffed, as it was obvious she wished to be sorted into Gryffindor and didn't say anything else as she pulled the length of her auburn hair, an interesting hybrid of slightly tinted dark red to a very light brown, to the side, and turned back to dividing the various biscuits and treats between the three of them.

Albus no longer felt comfortable in his new robes, having felt so nervous, and removed it in his curious meticulous way of pulling by the hem of his sleeves first and folding it casually across his lap once. Rose finished separating the piles and pushed a pile in Albus' direction which he pocketed in one of the robes' pocket without bothering to check what flavors of snacks she bought. James on the other hand, immediately found something to complain about,

"R_ooo_se," he whined, "you didn't get me Ice Mice!"

"They didn't have any," Rose replied, still a little unnerved by him, "They only had Peppermint Toads."

"I saw them when we passed the trolley earlier."

"Well I looked and-"

"I'll get them," said Albus, never one to like argument.

James grinned as if some scheme he had planned was falling perfectly into action right before his eyes.

"Great! Here are three sickles, that should cover it. The trolley's near the back of the express by now-" Before Albus could protest he was shoved out the booth, the door locking behind him with a satisfying _click_.

- - - - -

Albus had immediately regretted volunteering. "Near the back of the express" like James suggested was an understatement, as the trolley was in the last car of the train as opposed to where Albus hailed from near the middle front of the express. And Rose was right, of course- there really were no Ice Mice. He sighed dejectedly and bought a Peppermint Imp to sate his displeasure. It didn't help that the middle-aged woman who had pushed the trolley stared at him in awe for a reason he was not aware of and miscounted his change, and tried to give him four galleons instead of the intended 15 knuts. Albus just let her keep the change as he shuffled back down the aisle. He had just moved through the fourth car from the back when an older student came up to him, a blue and bronze badge with an eagle embellished on it glinting proudly on his chest.

"Excuse me, we can no longer have any students walking about the aisles especially since the Hogwarts Express is moving and the tea trolley has closed."

"Okay," Albus replied, slightly intimidated by the boy's tall figure and calculative tone. He sidestepped to move around him, but the boy held his ground.

"My cousin and brother are just a few more cars down," said Albus, a little wary at his under-exaggeration.

"I'm sorry, it's the train's policy, and as Ravenclaw prefect, I have to enforce it. You could sit on one of the booths on either side of me. This is to ensure your safety," he said in what Albus felt was unnecessary formality. The Ravenclaw prefect gestured to his left and Albus had no choice but to oblige as he entered the booth, feeling more dismal than before.

He sat down without looking at his surroundings, save for the floor, a little relieved that the compartment wasn't occupied except for a student in the seat across him as Albus had spied a pair of dragonhide boots in his line of vision. Albus missed muggle candy, the fact they didn't do anything at all but be flavorful and harmless placed the ordinary sweets in a special place in the 1st year's heart. He was vaguely aware of the three muggle sweets in the left pocket of his trousers that he planned on saving throughout the duration of the year. He chewed the last of the candy, thankful at the lack of side effect Pepperment Imps promised to grant on the wrapper, before pulling on the collar of the comfortable homemade sweater Grandmother Weasley had knitted him last Christmas.

"Hello," said a voice curtly.

Albus looked up, surprised at the voice. The voice belonged to a boy with platinum blond hair and steely gray eyes that warmed with polite interest at the newcomer in his cubicle. He had a paper flipped open centerfold on his lap and a box of assorted Weasley's Wizard Wheezes candy to his left next to a discarded robe that already sported the Slytherin crest, which amazed Albus since the boy looked scarcely over his age.

"You must be Harry Potter's son," he said.

"Yes. How'd you know?" Albus asked in surprise.

The boy rose an eyebrow in curiosity as the question, "Who doesn't? You're a spitting image of the pictures on the paper."

Albus felt relieved that for once, he wasn't compared to his brother.

"Oh. The paper? You mean the _Daily Prophet_?"

"No, _The Quibbler_. Everyone knows the _Daily Prophet_ is a load of rubbish."

Albus blushed pink as if a crisp breeze brought color to his cheeks, feeling embarrassed about not knowing what the student in front of him seemed to think he knew. Albus nodded sheepishly as if to agree, but the act would go unnoticed by the analytical boy, catching that Albus hesitated too long.

"Here, you can look at it if you want," he made a move as if to pass the paper in his direction but Albus Severus immediately moved backwards as far as the compartment would allow.

"I can't look at it. Father always told us not to read the paper. He says that gossip is usually the only thing in it anyway and it's not worthwhile."

"Us?" he asked.

"Oh, my brother James, and I mostly. My younger sister doesn't care for reading enough to bother like we do."

The boy across Albus gave a small smile which spread from the corner of his mouth and caused his whole face to upturn in a friendly gesture. A dimple blemished the otherwise smooth porcelain skin, breaking the perfect doll-like face into something more natural,

"You're Albus Severus Potter, then?"

"Al," Albus corrected politely in his quiet voice, not bothering to question how he knew that either.

"I'm Scorpius Malfoy. You can call me Scorpius."

Albus couldn't help but continue blushing as he nodded again, fingering the hem of his sleeves once more,

"Scorpius." Albus repeated, as if rolling the taste of his name on his tongue.

"That's right…" said Scorpius slowly in amusement, suppressing a small chuckle at Albus' elementary behavior.

They fell into polite silence once more, Scorpius openly examining the dark-haired boy in front of him, the paper momentarily forgotten while Albus stared shyly down at his hands which fidgeted on lap. It took only a few seconds before Scorpius saw Albus eyeing the candy box next to him and he picked out a candy at random and offered it to Albus, "Want some?"

Albus shook his head and resisted the urge to tell Scorpius that his Uncle owned the shop from where his candies were from.

"I don't really like wizard candy."

The blond found this idea absurd, "What other candy is there?"

"Muggle candy tastes really good."

"_Muggle_?"

Albus looked up from his lap as the change in tone confused him.

"Yes. Muggles."

Scorpius face mirrored Albus' confusion, then flew in fervor of mixed emotions before settling on one of polite leisure again, "That's… interesting."

"I have some in my pocket-"

"No thanks," said Scorpius quickly with a minute wrinkle of his nose.

Albus face broke into a grin, remembering what his father had told him about some wizards and witches being cautious of anything concerning Muggles since they didn't understand them.

"It's safe, really," he prodded gently.

"No, thank you," Scorpius said a little more stiffly as if holding his breath, his lips tightening to a thin grim line. Albus took this as a cue to change the subject.

"So what's Hogwarts like?"

Scorpius relaxed considerably, "Not sure. Father says it's really big with moving stairs, false doors, and echoing hallways. They give you a map with your schedule though to make sure you don't get too lost. Prefects and staff are usually very helpful and forgiving the first few weeks too, as new students are still getting used to the school."

This puzzled Albus, "Aren't you in second year?"

The fair-haired boy rose his eyebrows, his expression on his sharp features changing to one that was bemused, "No, what gave you that idea?"

Albus couldn't help but eye the Slytherin crest a little critically. Scorpius laughed at his acquaintance's uncertain guise.

"My whole family is Slytherin, naturally I'm going to be in that house too."

"Does it work like that? Is house sorting hereditary?"

"…Hm, for my family it is. And I'm glad, Slytherin is the best house."

Albus hadn't noticed he made a face until Scorpius snickered,

"All right, Al, what house do you want to be in?"

"Gryffindor," he replied without a beat or thought.

Scorpius fell into a voracious fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked Albus, unsure if he should be offended. Albus brushed a long unruly bang out of his face as Scorpius replied through the mirth,

"Why Gryffindor?"

"Well…" Albus started, "It's the noble and brave house. All the best wizards come from Gryffindor House, and a lot of the people I look up to are alumni of it. Everyone in there is adventurous and bold and-"

"Blah, blah, _blah_… and what book is giving you that horse shite?" Scorpius asked snarkily, lounging comfortably onto his seat, and leaning his back in the corner between the window and wall. Albus furrowed a brow.

"It's what I believe in," Albus said, showing the first glimmers of annoyance.

"No, it's what you were spoon fed," Scorpius retorted. When Albus didn't respond right away, Scorpius continued, "Besides, who'd want bravery over cunning, ambition and having friends you could absolutely trust?"

"Slytherin turns out bad wizards," Albus replied stubbornly under his breath.

"That's what most people _think_," Scorpius corrected, not showing any sign of insult to Albus' words, "Honestly, if that was the case, do you think Hogwarts would have a house dedicated to rearing possible criminals in the future?"

"Maybe they put all the evil wizards in there so they can keep an eye on them later and know who to look out for," Albus said, repeating what his brother told him a month or so ago.

"Look, all because the Dark Lord and his minions came from Slytherin doesn't mean that's what the whole house is like. If you looked through my father's archives in our library, you'll see that lots of crimes were spread evenly in all houses. In fact, Gryffindors were known for the most trouble, in the 1970s.

"Think about it, the only bad things you heard was all because of the Dark Lord. All other crimes committed during his reign by other graduates of Hogwarts weren't talked about because it wasn't as important as the Dark Lord rising. He ruined everything for the rest of us by making people like you scared, which Father believes 'gives us a hard time recreating a great legacy.' Slytherins like power, but most of us aren't nearly as dimwitted and easily manipulated as most of the deatheaters were."

"Slytherin turns out bad wizards," Albus repeated again and successfully sounding like a broken record, even to himself. He felt strangely inarticulate compared to the boy across him.

Scorpius looked at Albus in a calculating way before he smiled. He tried a different approach.

"Okay. You're right. Then all other houses are bad too."

"Why?"

"Because that's what I heard."

Albus immediately caught on, "Hey! That's not fair!"

"Why not? It's the same thing you did to me. You won't even listen to my reasons. It's perfectly fair."

Albus' eyes ceased to slits, "You're more like a Ravenclaw."

"Thank you, but no thank you. Slytherin is my place. What is Ravenclaw intelligence without cunning? What is Gryffindor bravery without ambition? What is Hufflepuff loyalty without friendship? Slytherin has the traits the other houses depend on."

"My brother is in Gryffindor… and so were my parents," Albus said in a voice just above a whisper.

"Will they be attached to your hip when you graduate too," said Scorpius, the remnants of a Malfoy smirk appearing on his features.

The brunette wizard looked at his blond acquaintance in front of him, his father's words echoing in his mind,

'_…then Slytherin House will have gained an excellent student, won't it? It doesn't matter to us, Al._'

"Scorpius, do you think I'm Slytherin material?" Albus said, very quietly.

Scorpius grinned, "If you were anything like your father, then yes."

* * *

A/N: okay before people ask. No, Scorpius, nor did anyone except Albus, Dumbledore and Harry know that he made the conscious choice to go to Gryffindor, and not Slytherin. It's just like the rest of us fans, I'd assume a lot of other characters in the books had speculations about what house other characters should have been in (Hermione in Ravenclaw, etc.) so I transferred that here like the ending. Scorpius is very in tune with the outside world, and news and hears about all these things, and all these stories from his father about Harry Potter that made him come to the conclusion that he would have been a great Slytherin.

Oh, and it was really hard for me to write them as 11 year olds and not the usual 16-17 year old age that I keep my characters in when I write fanfiction, so I had to go back and edit the "larger vocabulary" down.

Please review, it'll let me know if I should create another chapter! -yoshi09


	2. The Differences Between You and me

A/N: It's my birthday today! I'm the big 18 now! So I decided to celebrate by updating another chapter (/cough/ actually I had this update for awhile, my beta just kept forgetting to give me the edited copy) and also writing a dark Bellatrix/Rudolphus fic (which will be added later since I'm not done with it, but it will be done by Saturday, May 10, 2008). Also, the Sorting Hat song in this chapter is the last verse from the Sorting Hat's song in 1994 directly from JKR's books. You can find it in the HP-lexicon under a quick search of "The Sorting Hat." This is a bit of a filler chapter, necessary for character development. Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2  
The Difference Between You and me.  
**

It was sometime around 7pm when the moonlight found Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy juggling themselves amongst the hustle of other first years making their way down to the edge of what appeared to be a large black lake eschewed from the foliage of the now thinning forest. Albus was quietly surprised to find that the firefly he was once staring after was actually a window of a rather large castle in the distance that Scorpius explained would be their new home for the next several years. Albus found this rather daunting.

"I don't know why they're like that either," said Scorpius, conversationally.

"Sorry?" Albus ducked a limb of a tree that was all too keen on removing his cloak. Scorpius who walked steadily next to him, didn't seem to have a problem navigating through the dark, continuing on as if he were speaking of something as simple as the weather over a cup of tea,

"Everyone else takes the horseless carriages, and we have to trek through forest to a boat."

Albus looked over at the calm shimmering waters again, for the first time noticing the shadow of several boats bobbing merrily against the even darker shoreline.

"Why a boat?"

Scorpius' silhouette shrugged, "I suppose it's because it's a bigger show to us first years don't you think?" Before Albus could aptly form a reply, Scorpius carried on, "Listen, Al, I need to ask the professor ahead us a question. Save me a seat on that boat, all right?" Scorpius pointed vaguely to one of the dinghies tethered on the left.

"Okay," Albus said, "What do you need to," Albus Severus turned to look at Scorpius only to realize he was no longer there, "…ask," he finished dejectedly. The brunette wizard sighed and placed his hand back into his pocket where he found the Muggle candy bouncing comfortingly where he had left them. Muggle London seemed ages away… as did Grandmother Weasley's always-too-sweet sugar cookies, the warm fur of Padfoot, their black Labrador, and reading _Peter Pan _out loud to Mum, Dad, James, and Lily while they defrosted in front of the fireplace… Suddenly a bump against his shoulder knocked him out of his reverie,

"Where'd you go?"

Before Albus Severus could properly answer, Rose already grabbed him by the wrist and proceeded dragging him to a boat in the opposite direction of where Scorpius had gestured.

"You left me all alone with _James_ the rest of the trip!" the auburn-haired witch exclaimed in true reprimanding fashion that would have made her mother and aunt proud.

Albus opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again, gaining the appearance much akin to a goldfish out of its bowl had Rose been looking at the subject she now chastised.

"He forced me to play Exploding Snaps with him on the Express. _Exploding Snaps, _Al!"

"Rose-"

"Did you even find the Ice Mice James wanted?"

"Rose, I-"

"-No? I didn't think so! There weren't any, I made sure of it."

"Rose…" Albus started again half-heartedly, attempting to gain his ranting cousin's long-gone attention.

"Besides, Peppermint Toads taste nearly the same, don't they?"

"Rose, I told someone I'd…"

"I don't know why he made such a ruckus on it. Ice Mice are disgusting. He should have stuck to the candies in uncle's shop. Raspberry Ticklefruit, Sour Apple Fizzes, Puking Pastilles even."

By this point, Rose had calmed just enough that she went from dragging Albus to just pulling him along determinedly. She made the final two steps in front of a nodding boat, eager to allow them entrance, before none-too-gently shoving her younger cousin of two months into it before hopping in beside him.

"But really, Al, James is just so immature at times. I don't care if he's a year older than us, he acts as old as Lily, no offense," she huffed.

"First years- all aboard!" said one of the professor-turned-chaperones. As if the professor's words had been a spell themselves, the boats unknotted themselves from their respective harbours, and asides from a small jerk of motion the boat made as if waking from slumber, the dinghy set itself into a relatively smooth ride against the backdrop of pitch water. Rose sighed.

"I'm sorry, Albus, about my little tirade. I didn't even give you a chance to explain… Were you saying something?"

"It doesn't matter now," he replied quietly.

"Oh no, don't tell me I've made you upset."

Albus quickly shook his head, "No, no. It's fine, really," Seeing Rose didn't look convinced, he continued, "I'm sorry for leaving you with James like that. I know he could be, erm, what's the word mum used… oh, insensitive, at times but he's only looking out for us."

"If James is 'insensitive at times' like your mum says, then Wizards Chess must be a dance of courtship," retorted Rose.

Albus didn't reply and instead chose to stare out over the other boats mildly.

"I don't know where all his house prejudice came from," Rose's tone slipped just a little, and she lowered her voice considerably even though only she and Albus were settled in the small vessel and no other students were close enough to hear, "but do you think our parents will be disappointed if we get into any other house aside from Gryffindor?"

Albus started to play with the hem of his sleeve, "I think your mum and dad will be proud no matter what house you're in," he replied, softly.

"Right. Of course. I don't even know why I'm so worried."

Albus nodded in silent agreement.

"I hope we get in the same house so we have the same classes." Rose began again, her voice back to normal volume, "That's how it works my mum said."

"Me too," he replied, whilst folding and refolding his sleeves.

Rose looked around again, and deemed it safe to continue talking, "If you're not a Gryffindor, what house do you think you'd be in?"

Albus looked up at Rose, a slight blush pervading his cheeks due to the cold night air, "Erm, well, I'm not sure. James mentioned Hufflepuff, didn't he?"

Rose smiled, "You'd make a great Hufflepuff, I think," she said reassuringly, "How about me?"

"Ravenclaw," he said through a small smile.

Rose grinned at that.

The castle drew nearer and Albus couldn't help it as Scorpius' words rang clear through his head: _"Slytherin is my place. What is Ravenclaw intelligence without cunning? What is Gryffindor bravery without ambition? What is Hufflepuff loyalty without friendship? Slytherin has the traits the other houses depend on."_

_…'Twas __Gryffindor__ who found the way,  
He whipped me off his head  
The founders put some brains in me  
So I could choose instead!  
Now slip me snug about your ears,  
I've never yet been wrong,  
I'll have a look inside your mind  
And tell where you belong!_

Cheers resounded as the Sorting Hat finished his song, and the first years got an up close and personal look at the hat bowing at his audience.

"Did that hat just _bow_?" asked a first year behind Albus. Rose immediately turned to reply,

"Well, if it could sing, what's stopping it from outright hopping off the stool and square dancing? …I'm Rose Weasley," Rose extended her hand with a smile somewhere behind her and out of Albus' vision, "You must be a Muggleborn. My mum is one too…"

The Great Hall, Albus was pleased to find, looked exactly like the pictures in _Hogwarts: A History – Revised Edition_. The bewitched ceiling currently glittered with an amazing array of diamonds against clear midnight sky. Personally, Albus found it rather much, especially since he couldn't discern constellations from the saturated amount of stars twinkling at him.

"Now I'll be reading every first years name off this list, so when your name is called, step up to the stool and place the hat on your head so it may sort you," the professor made a sound as if to clear his throat, "Cooper, Steven!" he yelled, reading off the list. A first year, who was clearly putting on a brave face, ambled to the front and placed the hat upon his head. Almost instantaneously, the hat yelled,

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Rowdy shouts of approval resounded from the table that was clad in yellow and black attire on to go with their black robes, as the student named Steven Cooper joined his now housemates. He grinned sheepishly at the raucous applause before taking a seat.

"Corving, Eric!..."

Rose, whose chatter now ceased, made a small nudge against Albus' arm, "Hey, your brother is waving at us."

Albus turned at the sound of his cousin's voice, before focusing his attention to what her eyes directed him to. James waved coolly, his friends- whom he seemed to have plenty of- looking on to get a glimpse of the younger Potter. Albus ducked behind his cousin to avoid detection. Not James' friends… anything but James' friends. He inwardly groaned. Rose, on the other hand, went back to amicable chatter to her new friend. In an attempt to appear distracted, Albus reviewed the staff long table in front of him, and immediately caught his godfather Hagrid's stare, who gave him a rather large thumb's up. Albus smiled politely in return, remembering Ginny's reminder to visit him Friday. Among the professors he found the familiar presence of James' godfather, Mister Longbottom- whom Neville kept insisting Albus call him Neville like his brother did- and Minerva McGonagall, whom the brunette wizard oftentimes felt compelled to call Grandmother Minerva. It was the first time Albus had seen such a shrewd appearance on top of her usual refined air, as he had never seen her at the workplace before. Rose tapped Albus on the shoulder.

"Al, this is Abigail Langton. She's new to the wizarding world!"

"Hello," Albus said, turning to greet her.

Abigail Langton instantly looked like she got hit by a well aimed _Stupefy_.

"You're… you're… Harry Potter's-"

Before she could fully finish the sentence she was forming, the professor up front yelled, "Langton, Abigail!"

Abigail just about jumped from her momentary shock.

"Good luck!" called Rose brightly, and she gave a gentle full-palmed push to Abigail's back towards the Sorting Hat.

The girl kept looking backwards over her shoulder at her newest acquaintance in a dumbfounded awe, almost tripping as she removed her wizard's hat to replace it with the Sorting Hat in the process.

The Sorting Hat did several "hmm…" and "hums" before reciting out loud,

"RAVENCLAW!"

Rose, as well as the blue and bronze clad table applauded in an unnecessarily loud manner, a few students standing to receive her.

As soon as the chaotic welcome fell back to respective silence, the professor cleared his throat and projected,

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

Albus immediately perked at the name.

Students at the far table to the left already started cheering but a stern look from the headmistress forced them to swallow their congratulations.

"Thanks for saving me a seat," came a whispered voice coldly, and Albus saw more than felt the brush of robes sweeping past as the student sidestepped him with such grace it almost seemed rehearsed. Albus felt color rise prominently to his cheeks. Scorpius said a hushed, "Excuse me" to two other students in his path, and moved to the Sorting Hat with a sense of familiarity without turning back to look at Albus.

Scarcely before Scorpius placed the hat on his head, it called, "SLYTHERIN!"

This time, the far table roared with a thunderous applause unlike that of any first year before him. Albus saw that the Slytherins had already prepared a space for the newest addition of the green and black house, and watched as Scorpius Malfoy joined the group like it was his second family. He shook several hands, and received pats on the back from two students that looked to have similar badges as the Ravenclaw that gestured him into the booth with Scorpius earlier that day, except from what Albus could see, these badges were green. Scorpius smiled humbly at his housemates before he sat down completely. The professor took the opportunity to continue listing names.

"Malfoy. That sounds familiar." Rose said in speculation, as the mob of first years around them slowly receded, "My father mentioned it once before, I think."

Albus licked his lips and started folding and refolding his sleeves again.

"Bad habit, that," Rose said, looking pointedly at Albus' hands. Albus stopped, only to continue a few moments later. "You shouldn't be so nervous."

"Potter, Albus!"

Suddenly, as if a _Silencio_ was cast upon the entirety of the room, the Great Hall was very quiet.

Albus tried to pay no heed to this, and as he moved forward quiet whispers could be heard, "That's James' little brother…" "Harry Potter's other son. Looks just like him, doesn't he?" "Wow…" The younger Potter lowered himself onto the stool in front of him, and gently placed the ancient Hogwarts symbol onto his head. Immediately, a voice that Albus Severus was fairly certain wasn't his own resounded more in his mind than in his ears.

"A wee shy, are we?"

"_What_?" asked Albus in his head, as it was where the voice came from.

"But you'll get over that… Let's see, let's see… smart young boy, very polite… observant, yes. Very observant. You'd make a wonderful Gryffindor, but an even better Ravenclaw."

"_What about Slytherin_?"

"Slytherin? Slytherin… you would meet many great wizards in Slytherin, yes. But you have so much promise in Ravenclaw... although with more courage you'd flourish in Gryffindor. You must believe in your abilities."

"_Hufflepuff_?" Albus inwardly asked.

"Such an inquisitive boy. But no, Hufflepuff is not a bad choice, either," replied what Albus believed to be the hat, "Oh… what is this? Determination. Great judgment… very wise and at such a young age. Impressive boy. Ravenclaw, it is… but you are honest with much loyalty. Hm, hm… then it should be Hufflepuff..."

"_I'll do my best in any house you place me in,_" he thought more to himself than to the hat.

"Great interest in the unknown, I see. A Gryffindor, truly."

Albus listened to the hat inwardly wrestle with itself.

"…But none of your full potential will ever be attained without support with your self-discovery, so let it be…" The voice of the hat suddenly transferred to deafening volume as it shouted in triumph…

"_SLYTHERIN!_"

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A/N: So people know… when Albus blushed when Scorpius passed by him, it was because he was embarrassed by the fact Scorpius reminded him of the favor he asked and Albus hadn't fulfilled. Please review. Yes, I will update quicker this time- and I will be sure to remind my beta (Holypancake, who, by the way, deleted all her stories- some of which had 1000+ reviews, and one of which was one chapter away from finished!) to hurry it up. /laughs/ Thank you to everyone else who reviewed the first chapter!

yoshi09


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